May In Review

First and foremost, I got a big girl job… officially! In my March In Review post, I mentioned I had a good outlook for a fisheries position in Alaska, but wasn’t 100% sure I would get it as they didn’t want to interview me quite yet. I had that interview this month and got the job on the spot! I will be a fisheries observer for Saltwater, Inc. where I will be based at one of their stations in Alaska (my first deployment will be based out of Dutch Harbor… you know, the one from Deadliest Catch), be deployed at sea collecting data for a couple days to a couple weeks, come back to shore to send my data and get my bearings again before going out to sea again. This cycle repeats for a contract of 30-90 days and after my first contract, I can choose when/how long I work for. My duties will be recording bycatch (species not meant to be caught), record fishing effort and catch composition/quantities, completing catch logs and more. I start in early July with training in Seattle for three weeks then off to Alaska for my first 90-day contract. I’m excited for this unique job and new adventure!

Anyway, back to what I did this month… I saw my favorite band Rise Againstwith my friend Maria for a special acoustic show in an interesting venue (The Theater at Ace Hotel). It was different from any other set I’ve seen them play but really awesome and relaxed.

I also drove back home to Tucson for my brother Kyle’s graduation and to spend time with my family (including my brother’s new dog Scarlet) and friends. Most of the ceremony was appropriate, but I feel they spent too much time on too few special honors students. However, I really enjoyed how each student said a quick blurb about what they’re doing next. It really made me think about how far I’ve come since my graduations.

Halfway through the month, I had a tonsillectomy and boy, it was a bitch. The surgery went smoothly (I was asleep the whole time) and when I woke up they said I had the some of the biggest tonsils they’ve ever seen… as if recovering from this surgery as an adult wasn’t hard enough. I spent the first week totally in bed, limiting my activity to sleeping, watching some T.V. (I couldn’t even focus on a book, the horror!) and eating nothing but Jell-O. After about ten days, I started to turn around and had my first solid foods. That started a good feedback loop to recovery and I’m happy to say I’m pretty much completely recovered after two and a half weeks. My throat is a bit scratchy but I can eat most anything I want and talk mostly to full capacity.

Last week, I went to RuPaul’s Drag Con for the first time. I got a one-day pass and wasn’t really sure what to expect. I arrived as the queens were making their entrances on the pink carpet but couldn’t see anything as the carpet was lined with fans who arrived earlier. I did however watch some of the red carpet from a T.V. and brushed shoulders with a few queens (Latrice Royale, Manila, Morgan McMichaels, Acid Betty, Gia Gunn, Willam, Aquaria, and more!) on their way to their booths. My first priority was to meet my all-time favorite queen, Katya, but the meet and greet line was already capped off, so I opted for my second choice, Yvie Oddly. I waited in line for about two and a half hours (one hour without Yvie present because of some press work and another two because V.I.P.s got priority access) to meet her, told her how creative and fierce she is with a good head, got a few pictures and was on my way. After that, I didn’t have the money (a lot of queens require you spend a minimum amount of money on their merch for a meet and greet, luckily Yvie’s was only $15) or the patience for another meet and greet and I missed most of the panels I was interested in. I walked around the exhibitors, bought a few things, saw some queens at their booths but didn’t queue up to meet them, took one look at the massive food truck lines and headed out. If you’re thinking about going to Drag Con and are a massive fan, spend the money on the weekend V.I.P. or arrive early and have a plan with general admission. It was a neat experience but I don’t think I need to go again next year.

Brooke Lynn Hytes

Nina West’s booth

The next few months are going to be crazy with my Thailand trip, Diego visiting and starting my new job!